ARCHAEOMETRICAL STUDIES OF ROMAN IMPERIAL AGE GLASS FROM CANTON TICINO.

An archaeometrical study of Roman glass finds recovered in the Canton Ticino area was performed after the finding of traces of possible glass-working at Muralto near Locarno. The aim of this work is to provide chemical characterization of these glass varieties—never analysed before—and to compare the results obtained with those for glass of the same period coming from other sites (Aquileia, Augusta Praetoria and Modena). The chemical data shows that the composition of Canton Ticino glass remained the same from the first to the fourth century AD. Moreover, the large amounts of Sb used as a decolouring agent in these samples represents a peculiar trait.